Annecy 2011: Chaplin & Co Work In Progress Talk
I love the work of Charlie Chaplin. His work is still as important and still relevant as it was nearly 100 years ago when the first Chaplin films started screening to the world. It appears that the lovable tramp has now got his own animated TV series.
The talk started pleasantly enough with festival head Serge Bromberg announcing that we were to be shown the Masquerader, a keystone short featuring Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle. Ever the entertainer Serge accompanied the film by playing the piano. From then on it was announced that the screening was to be done entirely in French. I don’t speak French and so some of the details escaped me. I should have paid attention in French class instead of scribbling in my textbook.
We were shown an episode from the new series and I can say as a Chaplin fan, the romance, slapstick and frantic silliness of his films remain evident, which is always nice to see. It is a shame to see it structured as a series. It seems Chaplin has a friend in the shape of a generic little boy who acts as the connection to the audience. It’s a shame because I like the idea of the Tramp having a different adventure each day and although we will get this in the new series it seems anchored down as if he has connections and commitments. What is wrong with him wandering off into the sunset to his next adventure like he used to?
The other slight gripe I have with this production is the design. Whilst clearly working well with what they have, I enjoyed the pre-production sketches where the Tramp looks less like a china doll than he does in the final version. I have seen better versions of this timeless character realized. However it does not distract too much from the overall feel of the series.
This should prove to be a fun series to watch and enjoy as a new generation is introduced to the Tramp.